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Panda Express
Panda Express is a fast casual restaurant chain, serving American Chinese cuisine. It operates mainly inside the United States, in casinos, shopping malls, toll plazas, supermarkets, airports, train stations, strip plazas, theme parks, stadiums, college campuses, and The Pentagon. It is the largest chain of Chinese fast food restaurants in the United States. History The Panda Restaurant Group was founded by Andrew and Peggy Cherng and Andrew's father Master Chef Ming Tsai Cherng, all of whom used to live in the Yangzhou region of China's Jiangsu province.Panda Restaurant Group History In 1973, they started their first Panda Inn restaurant in Pasadena, California. In 1983, Donahue Schriber Real Estate, the manager of the Glendale Galleria, invited the Cherngs to develop a fast-food version of Panda Inn for the Galleria's food court, and Panda Express was born.James Flanigan, "Cooking Up a Powerhouse of Chinese Fast Food," Los Angeles Times, 8 October 2001, C1. The chain has steadily expanded across the USA since then. In 2007, the Panda Restaurant Group had annual sales of over $1 billion and over 13,000 employees.Panda Restaurant Group information page In 2008, Andrew and Peggy Cherng were the recipients of the 2008 City of Angels Award, given by the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce,LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce website for their contributions to the greater Los Angeles area."Andrew and Peggy Cherng of Panda Restaurant Group Receive City of Angels Award Honoring Contributions to the Los Angeles Area", Business Wire, February 8, 2008. Andrew and Peggy Cherng are alumni of Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas."Cherngs honored for contributions in L.A. area", Baker Pride alumni magazine, Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas, Spring 2008 issue. Peggy also got her B.S. degree in applied mathematics from Oregon State University in 1971, and her M.S. in computer science and doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia."OSU ALUMNI FELLOWS 2000: OSU honors veterinarian, animal nutrition researcher and president of Panda Management, Oregon Stater Association News, Oregon State University, 2000 Andrew also got his M.S. in mathematics from the University of Missouri."Profile: Andrew Cherng", Fremont College, Board of Advisors. On November 23, 2009, it was announced that Panda Express had selected Trusonic to provide Asian-themed background music to its store locations."Panda Express Selects Trusonic(R) to Provide In-Store Background Music", PR Newswire Association, November 23, 2009 On the ABC News TV program Nightline on April 18, 2011, there was a feature segment on Panda Express and its success. The segment described how Andrew Cherng encourages his workers and management to go through various life-changing motivational programs, especially emphasizing Landmark Education.Berman, John; Rosenberg, Sarah, "Panda Express: Self-Help Courses and Zumba Are Recipe for Success? CEO Says Motivational Forums, Not Orange Chicken, Make His Business Successful", ABC News Nightline, April 18, 2011 Overview With approximately 1,372 locations, Panda Express is the largest Chinese fast food restaurant chain in the USA. Andrew Cherng feels that Panda Express food needs more care and concern than other fast food restaurants. Panda Express tries to pay employees $1-2 more per hour than other nearby fast-food restaurants to get employees to put the extra care and concern into the food. The company's highest revenue location, bringing in over US$4 million annually, is located at the Ala Moana Center food court in Honolulu, Hawaii. Further reading * Flanigan, James, "Fast Food Powerhouse", AsianWeek, Nov. 30 - Dec. 6, 2001 issue. Associated Press story. * Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FE&S) magazine, Panda Express Profile * Andrew Cherng Profile - Asia Society, Southern California. * Andrew Cherng interview, The Tavis Smiley Show, original airdate November 14, 2006. * Jennings, Lisa, "Having words with Peggy Tsiang Cherng: chief executive and co-chair, Panda Restaurant Group", Nation's Restaurant News, August 1, 2005. * "Panda Express is Alumni Brainchild", @Mizzou, University of Missouri, Alumni Association magazine, January 2004. * Panda Restaurant Group Corporate Data - from Panda Restaurant Group website * Hirsch, Jerry, "Chinese fast-food chain Panda Express thrives on a diet of orange chicken Now celebrating its 25th year", Los Angeles Times, August 13, 2008 * Bernstein, Charles, 'Manchu Leads the Working Race,' Restaurants & Institutions, August 1, 1994, p. 30. * Cebrzynski, Gregg, 'Panda Express Breaks TV Ad Campaign as Test to Raise Brand Awareness,' Nation's Restaurant News, August 9, 1999, p. 11. * Farkas, David, 'Fast and Friendly,' Chain Leader, March 2000, p. 72. * Glover, Kara, 'Success on Oriental (Food) Express,' Los Angeles Business Journal, September 25, 1995, p. 21. * Krantz, Matt, "Panda Express Spreads Chinese Food Across USA", USA Today, September 11, 2006 * Marchetti, Michele, and Alisson, Lucas, 'Creating Panda-monium,' Sales & Marketing Management, January 1996, p. 14. * Martin, Richard, 'Panda Express: Bullish about the Bear,' Nation's Restaurant News, May 16, 1994, p. 86. * ------, 'Top Chi-Chi's, El Torito Execs Tackle Panda Push,' Nation's Restaurant News, August 7, 1995, p. 18 * Walkup, Carolyn, 'Panda Express Promo Targets Takeout Business,' Nation's Restaurant News, February 28, 1994, p. 7. * "Panda Restaurant Group Founders Pledge $2.5 Million to Collins College", Polycentric, Cal Poly Pomona, February 28, 2011 References External links * Panda Express * Panda Restaurant Group * Hoover's Financial Data on the Panda Restaurant Group